An Ultimate School Life
by SoldierOfLuck
Summary: Hope's Peak Academy: The beacon of hope for not only Japan, but the entire world. The school, founded 77 years ago, had a long history of scouting for talented high school student and offering them a full scholarship to an institution where they may refine their talent and become humanity's hope and leaders. This, is the story of one of these "Ultimate Student",
1. The Letter

Author's Note: Hey Everyone. This is a rewrite of an old fic I abandoned a few years ago, but since now I finally have the motivation to actually finish my project, I wanted to re-write this one. I hope you guys enjoy.

* * *

It was a beautiful morning, the birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, and a single ray of light shined through the window a young boy's room. Under the morning sun ray, the resident of the room is revealed sleeping soundly in his bed, with a small line of saliva drooling from his open mouth to his pillow. Despite the temperature warming up due to the coming of spring, the teenager is covered by a huge winter blanket. Except for the bird chirping from the tree next to the window, the room was completely peaceful and quie...

"WAKE UP YOU FAT PIG! YOU'RE GONNA BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!"

"HUH, WHAT, WHATS HAPPENING?"

Surprised by the loud shout, the young boy jumped out of his bed and…landed his foot on a piece of lego on the floor.

"OW, GODDAMMIT, F%$K"

Completely awaken by both the sudden scream and the pain, the teenager is now bouncing all over the room, holding his left foot in the air.

"Wow, really, swearing in front of your brother, big bro of the year over here."

"Oh shaddup Alex, it hurts like hell. Now get out of my room so I can get changed."

"You mean, your pig's sty." said Alex, all while looking around the room. Even his brother had to admit, his room was a mess. Stacks of paper covers the desk, unfinished lego structure are scattered all over the floor, the nightstand next to the bed had 4 different cups, all of them empty, and dirty clothes are stacked in pile beside the wall.

"OUT!", shouted out the older brother, slightly embarrassed by the horrid state of his room.

Once his younger brother left the room, the boy looked around his own room...and decided he will clean it later, like he has been saying for the past four month. He got dressed in his middle school uniform, grabbed a sandwich for breakfast and left his house.

"Hello Tenki-kun."

After stepping out of his house, the teenager was greeted by a dark-haired student. They were dressed in the same uniform, a dark blazer with blue dress pant, with a white emblem reading "Tomori Middle" printer on the blaser. Seeing his friend greeting him, Tenki responded back with a smile.

"Hi Tanaka-kun."

"So, ready for your big speech?"

"I don't know man, I've been preparing this speech for months, but I still don't feel like it's good enough. Japanese is a hard language."

Although for most middle schooler in Japan are fluent enough in the language to give a speech by their final year, Tenki Hinoto was a special case. Even though his family is from Japan, Tenki actually lived his entire life in America. His parents were 2nd generation immigrants and they lived in New York. However, when he reached his 12th birthday, his dad came home with the news that they were moving to Tokyo. The reason was because his father was being transferred to his company's new branch. As a result, Tenki started middle school in Japan while his brother was homeschooled by their mother due to his poor Japanese skills. While the middle schooler was a lot better at the language than his younger brother, he still struggled with the language at first, to the point that he could not even take notes. Luckily, Tanaka took pity on the new kid and shared his notes with him and even helped him with the Japanese language, something Tenki will forever be grateful for.

"Oh c'mon, you'll do fine. You're the valedictorian, pull yourself together.", said Tanaka, while giving Tenki a playful slap on the back.

"I know, I know, but... why me? I'm a foreigner that barely speak Japanese, my grades aren't the best and heck, I'm not even that popular."

"Uuuuhhh, I don't know, maybe it's because YOU WON A NATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION, YOU DUMMIE?!"

That much was true. Although Tenki never struggled at school, he was not a genius. Both in academic and in his personal life, there wasn't anything he really excel in, the sole exception being his public speaking skill. When most kids his age feared to speak in front of a crowd, Tenki always loved it. He adored being in the center of everyone's focus, and he had the natural charisma to draw them in. Even back in America, he participated on several competition, where he learned to perfect his talent.

"OK, OK, I get it, you don't need to shout. Now c'mon, let's just get to the auditorium and get the dumb thing over with."

The two young boys quickly walked to the graduation ceremony and took their places, settling in for 2 long hours of speeches and diplomas.

"GOD, that was LONG", said a student in the schoolyard.

Once the graduation ceremony was over, the 3rd years dispersed form the auditorium, filling the schoolyard with chatters.

"I know! It was so boring that I could FEEL my life draining away.", responded another male student.

"Plus, the president's speech? URG, it's like listening to an electric fan." said a female student while chuckling.

"They should have just ended with Hinoto-kun's speech, at least that was interesting."

"Eh, it was alright."

"Oh please, I saw you shed a tear during that speech."

"WAS NOT!"

"WAS SO!"

While the student conversed about the content of the valedictorian's speech, the subject of that conversation was right beside them, with a visible blush on his face. Upon noticing that, a smirk appeared on Tanaka's face.

"Looks like someone was happy his speech went well." said Tanaka with a teasing tone.

Hinoto immediately covered his face with his hand, attempting to hide his obvious blush,"Oh crap," he started, " is it really that obvious?"

"Oh please, you face is redder that a tomato."

"Well, I'm just happy people enjoyed it." he smiled, while scratching the corner of his face. " Like I said, it was really hard conveying what I wanted to say in a foreign language."

"You did fine, anyways, now that we are officially on vacation, wanna come hang out at my place? I got the new switch console, we can test it out."

A spark of interest appears in Hinoto's eye and his embarrassment immediately disappears."YOU GOT A SWITCH?!" he said, before remembering he had business at home. "URGGG, I really want to go, but I can't, I promised my parents that I'll head back home right after graduation so we can celebrate. Plus, today is the day we receive our letter from high scho…"

"BABABABA" Tanaka shouted while covering his ears "Do. Not. Remind. Me. About. School. I am in vacation mode and there is no way you are ruining that with your acceptance nonsense."

"Sure, suit yourself, but I really need to leave."

"Ok, ciao"

"Bye-bye"

The two then parted ways to head back to their respective houses. Once arrived, Tenki was greeted by his younger brother at the gate, with an ice cream in one hand…. And a pile of mail on which he is dripping that ice cream on.

"Big bro, the mail came!"

Upon this sight, Tenki quickly dashed to the door and grabbed the pile of mail from his sibling's hands, all while wiping off the chocolate ice cream from the envelope.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, he yelled, with his back turned from his brother, desperately trying to clean off the stains. "My acceptance letter could be in here. What would happen if you damaged it?"

"Oh, don't worry, your letter isn't there."

That comment made Tenki stop dead his his track. He turned around, looking at his brother with a face full of shock and surprise. "What?"

"Tokyo High right? They didn't send anything, maybe you didn't pass."

"Wait" stubbled Tenki, as he is trying to understanding what was happening. "But that's impossible. I checked my number on the exam acceptance board last month, I definitely passed."

He was in a state of panic as an array of question rapidly pooped in his brain. Did he check for the wrong number? Did he not take the exam for the correct school? Oh god, what if he does not have a school to go to? Luckily, his brother interrupted his train of panic and anxiety with another piece of information.

"Well, there is that black letter in the bottom that is addressed to you, maybe they forgot to put their names in it."

Confused, Tenki turned the pile around and saw a pure black envelope with a familiar logo in the center, depicting an emblem with an ink pen and some form of zigzag on it with a crown of the top. Intrigued, he opened the envelope and there was a single letter, on which was inscribed:

Dear Tenki Hinoto

Based on the criteria of the admissions process, the Hope's Peak Recruitment committee is very pleased to offer you ADMISSION to Hope's Peak Academy for the 20XX-20XX academic year in its Main Course, as part of the 78th Class. For your accomplishment as the National middle Champion of the public speaking competition, the National champion of the US Air Cadets Effective Speaking competition and being part of the National Youth Debate Team for Tomori Middle, Hope's Peak Academy would like to offer you the title of "ULTIMATE DIPLOMAT".

School will start on the 6th of April. We look forward to having you in our institution.

Jin Kirigiri.


	2. The Soldier and The Luckster (Part 1)

"W-what?"

Staring at the thick paper, Tenki dropped the pile of mail in his hand to hold the letter with both hand, much to his sibling's dismay. The very notion of his acceptance to Hope's peak made him enter a state of awe and disbelief. He read over every single word, every single letter, as if he was trying to stare a hole into it, almost expecting something like "Just Kidding" on the form, or a camera popping out, revealing the fact that the whole thing was an elaborate prank. It was simply unthinkable. He, a normal teenager, got accepted to the prestigious Hope's Peak Academy, simply because he was good at public speaking? That's crazy. However, after a fifth reading of the letter, Tenki was forced to come to term with the unbelievable truth: he is one of the ultimate students. Water started gathering in the eyes and flowing down his face. As a boy, he had made the promise to never cry in front of others, since it seemed unmanly, but the news was simply too much and the emotions overcame the poor boy's will as he stood there, unable to contain his tears of joy. He was going to attend the best school in the nation, nay, the world. His moment of happiness was, however, interrupted by his younger brother, holding a pile of dirty envelope in his hands, visibly angry.

"Jeez, why did you drop the mail?! My magazine was in there! What in the world in wrong with…," Alex shouted, trying to shake the duct and water off the papers, before looking at his brother's face and realizing his teary face. "Wait, a-are you crying?"

"Hun? OH! I-its nothing, I-I'm just…really happy," replied Tenki, snapped out of his thoughts and trying to wipe off his tears.

"What was in that letter?"

With a large grin, Tenki handed the mail to his younger brother, whom, upon reading it, let out a cry of surprise.

"NOOOO WAY! YOU'RE KIDDING ME! Isn't that where the super talented people go? They say if you graduate from there, you're set for life!"

"I KNOOW!" Tenki shrieked in response, like an excited schoolgirl. "I AM SOOOOOOO HYPED!"

"How did they accept you?"

"I don't know, I'm actually kind of nervous. Everyone there is going to be super amazing and special. There is no way I'm going to fit in. I mean, I'm just an…

* * *

Average, that was the word that best described Makoto Naegi, everything from his looks, his grades, his school, even his athletic abilities. He was utterly average, something he was painfully aware of, thanks to the constant reminder from his friends and family. To be honest, Makoto was getting sick of it, but in a certain sense, he didn't despair too much since he knew there was nothing he could do to change it. Optimism was, after all, one of Makoto best quality, which, came in handy to combat his biggest weakness, his luck, of lack thereof. Just today, Makoto lost a game of rock paper scissors with 10 participants (he played scissors and everybody else played rock) and was forced to buy his friend's drinks and snacks at the convenience store and bring it back by himself. He came out of the store with four plastic bags filled to the brim with cans of soda, coffee and snacks. _This is sooooo heavy_ , thought Makoto, cursing his misfortune. _Happy thoughts Makoto, think about something pleasant_ , he told himself, trying to take his mind off the current situation. He thought about his plans once he'll be home, watching that night's TV program. His former classmate, Sayaka Maizono, would be making an appearance in a music program tonight. Despite the fact he was convinced that Sayaka did not remember him, he was still looking forward to the program. He was deep in his thoughts until he heard the sound of something snapping and almost lost his balance.

"Whoa"! He cried, placing one of his foot in front of him in order to not fall over.

As he adjusted his stance, Makoto realized where the sound came from and the reason of his loss of balance, the bottom of his bags was ripped and the content within was everywhere on the ground, causing a sudden change in weight that almost made Makoto fall. Normally, the odds of all four plastic bags all ripping under the weight of the cans would be next to impossible, unless a certain store clerk accidentally sliced the bottom of the bags while unpacking them with a box cutter.

"Just my luck I guess," he ranted, while trying to pick everything up.

After a few minutes, he gathered up most of what was dropped to the ground. All but a can of black coffee. He scanned his surrounding in order to find the finale item, before seeing it roll toward an elderly man, sitting on a bench.

"Excuse me sir! Makoto yelled, trying to grab his attention. Can you please pass me the can?"

His cry, however did not reach the ear of the old man, who realize the presence of the can once it hit his foot, picked it up, looked at it, perplexed… before opening the can and drinking it.

Seeing this scene, Makoto let out a cry of discouragement.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE…

* * *

...KIDDING ME!"

The cry of Junko Enoshima resounded throughout the entire airport, causing everyone inside to look at her and the boy beside her, Yasuke Matsuda. This cause the boy to grimace from the attention they were receiving.

"Shuddup Junko, everyone is looking at us funny and you know how I feel about attention."

"BUT THIS IS BULL$%!T," Junko cried, increasing her volume "THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT HER FLIGHT IS DELAYED. AT THIS RATE, I MIGHT MISS MY PHOTO SHOOT. URG, WHY IS SHE SUCH A DISAPPOINTMENT."

"Oh what, you want her to magically control the weather"? Yasuke replied, with an annoyed look on his face. "I'll remind she's the Ultimate SOLDIER, not the Ultimate weatherwoman. Plus, it's been over 3 years since you last saw her. I think that's a bit more important than your dumb photo shoot."

"WHAT! You're taking her side? What kind of crappy boyfriend are you?!"

" The kind who hate the attention you are bringing to us right now with your yelling."

" Well, get used to it," Junko replied, with a sadistic grin on her face, "cause when in 2 months, we'll be at the same school and I guarantee I will do this Every- Single- Day, my introverted otaku."

" Urg, why am I with a girl like you?" Yasuke sighed, while putting his book over his face.

" Because you love me", chuckled Junko, before giving a small kiss on Yasuke's cheeks, causing the reddening of his cheeks.

"Yeah… I guess you're right," mumbled Yasuke, covering his face with a manga, trying to hide his blush and the grin on his face.

"OH WAIT," Junko cried out, waving her arms energetically. "There she is! HEY MUKURO-CHAN! HERE! RIGHT HERE!"

At the other side of that hyperactif greeting was a young woman with black hair, with her luggage in one hand and her passport in the other. She was wearing a bulletproof vest and a camo uniform. Upon hearing the loud shout, she slowly turned her head and immediately, her emotionless face turned into a wide smile.

" Junko-chan! I'm back!"


	3. The Soldier and The Luckster (Part II)

With her luggage in on hand and the passport in the other, Mukuro Ikusaba hurried down the escalator with a child-like excitement. However, once she reached the end of the escalator, her view was blocked by the swarm of travelers in the airport. Some were businessmen trying to get their luggage, others were tourists looking for a taxi. All of that matter not to Mukuro, as to her, these people were all one thing: nuisances, obstacles between her and her beloved sister. She pushes and squeezes through the swarm until she finally arrives to the spot where she saw Junko and Matsuda...before realizing that only the Ultimate Neurologist was present. Before she could ask the boy about the location of the Fashion model, she felt a presence behind her. He quickly turned around and saw a blurry figure pouncing on her. In an instance, her soldier reflexes took over to dodge the incoming assailant…before realizing the figure, now on the ground, was none other than Junko.

"Ouchy, Jeez Mukuro, you live away from civilization for a few years and you already forgot our sisterly love?" said Junko, on the ground, with mushrooms growing out of her hair, rubbing the sore spot on her hip due to her violent collision with the floor. "Sniff, I'm so hurt by your coldness."

"Oh My God, I am So Sorry Junko-chan", apologized Mukuro, crouching down as she said this, helping her sister up. "I thought you were… My reflexes… IM SOO SORRY."

"Don't worry about it Mukuro, she's faking it."

The mercenary, with Junko in her arms, turned her head around to see another flash from the past, Yasuke Matsuda, her childhood friend and her sister's, as she puts it, SUPER DUPER LOVER DUBBY SOULMATES, leaning against the wall. After so long, the young man barely changed, with his constant bedhead and his eyes glued to a manga. The only visible change is his clothing. Instead of the dress shirt, black pants and loose tie that Mukuro remembered him by, Yasuke was wearing a pair of skinny ripped jeans, a flannel shirt and a fedora.

"Urg, you ruined it! Whose side are you even on!" cried Junko, now standing and patting her own clothing to remove any dust or dirt from the ground.

"Hi Yasuke-kun, long time no see."

"Yeah, no shit. It's been what, 3 years? And not a single letter of call. Not even a warning. You just hopped on a plane and joined a fucking mercenary group."

"I'm….sorry."

After a loud sigh, the ultimate neurologist closed his book and stared at the raven-haired girl. He rose and lazily walked up to her, before closing his eyes, sighing once again while ruffling his hair.

"Anyways, what happened happened", he said, before opening an eye and putting on a semi-smile. "It's good to have you back Mukuro."

"GASP. What's this, Yasuke showing EMOTIONS!? OMG! What kind of sorcery is this?"

"Shaddup Junko, replied the boyfriend with a visible irritation in his voice."

"Oh sure, smile to my sister, but all I get is a glare and an insult? How can this get any worse?", replied Junko, putting her arm over her head, as if she was a character on a soap opera, fainting from the betrayal of a loved one.

Seeing the couple argue, Mukuro couldn't help but to smile. She missed this. She missed Junko's personality swap. She missed Yasuke's loud sighing. In a weird way, she even missed her sister's insults. Although she did enjoy her time with her Fenrir comrades, she was never close with any of them. Even though they fought side by side in active warzone, she never became friends with anyone. Her undefeated record and young age earned her enormous respect and fear from the other soldiers, despite her gender, but never friendship. However, seeing the familiar scene of the couple bickering back and forth reminded her of some the few good memories she had before she abandoned Junko to pursue a military life and make her feel glad that despite the years, these two are still the same as before.

Realizing her sister's smile, Junko stopped her dramatic pose and smiled back at her sister…before perceiving the current time on the flight arrival projector.

-12:23?! CRAP! Yasuke,Mukuro, Grab you shits, we need to GOOOOOO.

Startled by her sister sudden exclamation, Mukuro barely had the time to grab her luggage before she was dragged ferociously by her sister toward the exit…leaving the poor Yasuke behind.

"Shit, Wait Junko", exclaimed the boy, desperately trying to catch up to the twins.

" HA! This is what you get for being an unfit NEET. We don't have time to wait so hurry up or I am telling the limo to leave you here."

Within a few second the trio reached the parking area of the airport, with Yasuke panting and wheezing, where a middle age man dressed in a driver's uniform was waiting for them next to the limousine.

"Good afternoon, Miss Enoshima. I see that your sister have arrived safe…"

"Save the pleasantries you f%$king extra. We need to to drive to my photoshoot and arrive before 1"

"Um, ma'am, with all due respect, the photoshoot site is more than 40 minutes away. And we are in peak traffic time right now. I don't think I can…"

"Can't or won't?", interrupted Junko, starring the driver down with a death glare.

"P-Pardon me?" replied the driver, slightly intimidated.

"Lemme paint a picture for you. You, a nameless driver who no one gives half a sh*t about, were hired by one of the top modelling agency to escort their primary Model to the scene of a 1pm photoshoot. However, once the time rolls around, the model is nowhere to be seen, causing delays in production and wasting everyone's time. Of course, this will not reflect on the modeling agency and they will need to hold someone responsible, which is bad for both of us… except I am their number 1 model so I am basically in the clear. You, on the other hand, you are, as I said before, a nameless, replaceable, disposable extra. SO. Here are your choices. You can either drive like a model citizen, arriving late and getting potentially fired for your incompetence. OR, you can get me to my destination in time."

The poor driver, now drenched in a cold sweat, muttered a timid "Yes ma'am" and hurried to his seat.

Meanwhile, the three teenager quickly settled into the back. Once the car was on the road, Junko mysteriously pulled out three champagne glass out of seemingly nowhere, surprising even Mukuro, who prides herself in her observational skills. She then pressed a button on her armrest and a bottle of champagne resting in a bucket of ice appeared from a hidden compartment.

"Now, to celebrate my dear sister's return to civilization. Let's toast!" she said, as she tried to open the bottle.

Suddenly, the car, going 20 mph over the speed limit, hits a pothole on the road and the entire vehicle went up and down. The bump destabilizes Junko, which cause her to pop open the cork...which is now flying directly in the direction of Mukuro's face.

"Oh shi….

" ..it, sorry sonny, was this drink your's ?"

Makoto, now beside the elderly gentleman, let out an audible sigh. He approached the old man, hoping that, against all odds, the can he saw rolling toward the old guy did not originate from his ripped bags. That, by some miracle, the can of black coffee that was drank actually belong to the senior citizen and he just dropped it by accident. Alas, reality was not so kind.

"Yeah...yeah, it was", responded Makoto, discouraged. _Today is just the worst, why do bad stuff keep happening to me_

"Haha, I thought so", said the old man, now laughing out loud, his face free from any guilt. "Sorry about that. How should I put this? It just, y'know, found its way to me, like it was always meant to be. I couldn't help myself."

"But you could have!", replied Makoto, instinctively objecting to the illogical argument "You just had to not drink it. It's..".

Suddenly, Makoto stopped himself. He saw the smile of the old man's face and it was clear that he had no chance of winning this argument, so he dropped his shoulders and gave up.

"Nevermind, it's fine"

Looking at the teenager's dejected face, the old man asked, with a hint of sympathy in his voice "Hm, well sonny, you seem to be quite agitated for this one can of coffee. Is everything okay?"

"It's just that, everything today has been terrible", admitted Makoto, semi-relieved that he gets to vent. "Especially in the last half-hour. It's just been one unlucky incident after another. I wonder what have I done to have the universe hate me this much today. Is it karma?"

After hearing the boy's rant, the man did something unexpected: he chuckled.

"Karma's got nothing to do with it, sonny. Believing that good things will happen to you just because you're a good person is stupid."

"B-But.."

"Look, here's the thing", continued the man, interrupting Makoto. "This whole karma business, I don't buy it. Not even for half a second. You get a reward if you're good and you're punished if you're bad? That's a load of crap. It's just a lie people made up to try to bring vain hope their life, trying to control destiny. In reality, all that stuff doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you're a Saint or the anti-Christ, if you're lucky, you're lucky, that's all there is to it. Trust me, I seen enough in life to know what I'm talking about."

Makoto blinked, completely lost. He had no idea why the old man is telling him all of this and was not following anything he was saying. The senior, seeing the look of confusion of the boy's face, addressed him with a grin on his face.

"So sonny, Don't agree?"

"I mean… it's not that I disagree… but…", he said, with hesitating. "A-Are you, um, trying to convert me to a cult?"

For once, the old man seemed to be the one who is caught off- guard.

"I guess, this was a bit too complicated for a child to understand", said the man

Makoto was about to object, wanting to say that he was not a child. He was, however, interrupter by the sound of a bus stopping near them.

"Ah, looks like my ride's here. Well, this has been a pleasant talk sonny. See you around", exclaimed the man as he walk toward the bus, before stopping in his tracks. "Oh,almost forgot", he said, before placing the half-empty of black coffee in Makoto's hands. "Here, this was your's"

"Oh, thanks", Makoto replied by , why am I thanking him. What am I supposed to do with this?

Instead of protesting though, Naegi decided to hurry back to his friends. He was in the middle of an errand after all, which meant he needed to go back to the store and grab a few bags that, hopefully, will actually hold the drinks **without ripping**. Now that he knew what he needed to do, Makoto decided to first toss the coffee can in the nearby trash can beside the bench first… before he saw something on that bench: a smartphone. He assumed it belonged to the elderly gentlemen from before, so he turned around, catching the particular individual in his line of sight, entering the bus.

"Hey! Mister! Your phone!" Makoto cried out, trying to catching the man's attention, who, once again, ignored him and went on the bus.

Makoto was faced with a dilemma. Should he go after the old man? Or should he let him be and finish his own errand?

He looked down at the phone in his hand, then over to the pile of drinks sitting on the sidewalk. Phone, sidewalk, phone, sidewalk.

"Oh, fine!" he muttered, then started to run. Makoto always the kind of person who always does the right thing if he had the chance. "Hold on, mister!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Makoto sprinted as fast as he could. He could see the doors of the bus slowly closing _.C'mon, please make it. Please do not close._ In the final meters, the boy jumped and managed to land in the bus. Leaning himself on a supporting metal bar in the bus, Makoto tried to catch his breath, exhausted by the amount of exercise he was forced to do. He then looked around, searching for the old gentlemen from earlier. He found him sitting in the back, with a surprised look on his face.

"Thank goodness." sighed Makoto, in relief. "Hey mister, you forgot this"

As he made to take the first step toward the old man's seat, he managed tripped over his own foot. The excessive amount of exercise made him a bit light headed and made him extremely clumsy. _Oh no_ he thought, as he started to fall. In order to not fall down face first, Naegi tried desperately to grab onto something to stop his fall. He grabbed the first thing within his reach. The next second he heard a sharp tear, and then he was on the floor. Whatever he had grabbed lessened the impact of his fall considerably—a small stroke of luck in an otherwise unfortunate situation.

However, he hadn't been completely saved from the impact. His right shoulder and side stung, and he must have hit his head, because he was seeing stars through his barely open eyes.

Or, at least, that's what Makoto thought, but he was wrong. The glimmering he saw was not an illusion, but real, physical light shining through the bus's windows and refracting through the jewels scattered across the floor.

"What?" Makoto mumbled, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, incapable of making even the slightest amount of sense out of the scene before him.

 _Why are there jewels on the floor of the bus?_

And then, a shadow appeared beside Makoto, who was still lying, confused, on the hard ground. The shadow belonged to a diligent-looking businessman at the front of the bus who had just stood up. In a calm, professional tone of voice, the man said, "Don't move. Stay right where you are, everyone." He set his torn bag on the seat, reached into his jacket pocket, and pulled out an army knife.

 _Oh noooo._

 **A/N:**

Sorry for ending on a cliff hanger here. I'm originally wanted to finish the "The soldier and the Luckster" this chapter, but it turns out the whole bus incident is a lot longer to write than I thought. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as I can, but with this chapter published, I no longer have any more chapters in my backlog and considering that exams are coming up, the updates probably won't be extremely frequent.

PS: Thank you 1995hzqfor your reviews on Ch1 and Ch2. I appreciate the encouragement :D


	4. The Soldier and The Luckster (Part III)

"How did this crack get here?"

Against all odds, Junko Enoshima managed to arrive in the city in time for her shoot, with 5 minutes to spare. Of course, the driver was less than happy with the dents his car has received due to the reckless driving. He was also intrigued by the mysterious crack on the window next to where the raven-haired girl was sitting. Unfortunately, he did not have the time to question the trio, as multiple agents and security guards rushed to his vehicle the second they arrived and dragged them away. However, when he was cleaning the car's interior, which was drenched in champagne for some reason, he did notice a cork underneath the seat.

Meanwhile, Junko, Mukuro and Yasuke were rapidly escorted inside of a warehouse. Once they arrived at the entrance, Mukuro was able to see the interior: beautiful models walking around, a buffet set up, a few men in suits running around, yelling orders to others. In the center of the room was a white backdrop, with multiple lights shining right at it, so bright that it rivaled the sun outside. All of the camera seems to be directed toward that area, alongside a few weird structure with what seems to be umbrella hanging on them. _Why would they need umbrellas? Isn't the shoot happening inside?_ Mukuro thought. She turned around, wanting to question her sister, before realizing that Junko was no longer beside her. Her eyes scanned around the room and saw that the fashionista was with Yasuke, speaking to one of the men in suits. As she was approaching the two, Mukuro was suddenly stopped by a security guard.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but I'm afraid this zone is for production members only. If you want to enter, you would need a visitor's pass"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have one. I came with Junko Enoshima. She's my sister."

"Well, I'm afraid I cannot let you in for that reason alone. We have a lot of people come by claiming to be family members. May you stay here while I go check with Miss Enoshima?"

"Sure, I'll wait", replied Mukuro. As much as being separated from her twin is irritating, she understands that the guard was simply doing his job. As a soldier, she knows the importance of obeying orders.

The man, happy to see he did not have to argue with the girl, called over a colleague of his to watch over her, and quickly ran to the fashion model. A few seconds later, the guard returned, alongside Junko.

"This is the girl I was talking about. Is she indeed your sister?" asked the guard, while reaching his hand out towards Mukuro.

"Nope, she is not my sister"

Those words hurt the soldier. She had heard countless insults, suffered from painful training, yet those 6 words from Junko's mouth hurts more than anything she experienced on the battlefield. Mukuro's mind started to fill with despair. Have she done something wrong? Did her sister resent her for leaving Japan and joining Fenrir? Is this a form of revenge, is that why she's acting like they are strangers? Should she have let the champagne cork hit her instead of dodging it back in the car? As self-harming thoughts filled her head, Mukuro was beginning to feel tears rising. She was prepared to be hated by Junko, but she did not imagine that she would outright reject their family relation.

"Because if she was my sister, she would not be here." said Junko.

That single sentence snapped Mukuro back to reality. She was confused by Junko's comment.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I'm afraid I do not understand" responded the security, slightly confused.

"What I am saying is that IF this girl was my sister, she would not be here. She would be out, exploring the city, enjoying civilization for the first time in ages. She would not, for instance, stay here for 4 hours waiting for her little sister to be done with a photoshoot and wasting a beautiful day. She would be out, enjoying life and making up for the time she lost, because MY sister would know that we have all the time in the world to catch up and spend time together, so she would not waste her time simply to be with me. Especially since she knows I'll be calling her the second I am done." Junko exclaimed, while waving her arms in dramatic fashion." well, at least, that what I, as a little sister would like to believe", she ended, with a crocodile tear in her eye. "So, in conclusion, this girl cannot possibly be my sister."

Understanding what Junko meant, Mukuro's dark thoughts immediately dissipated. She gave her sister a wide smile.

"I understand Junko, I'll see you later then"

"Go away, you disappointment, I don't know you." replied Junko, with a teasing grin on her face, as she shooed the soldier away, before walking back inside, leaving behind a very confused guard.

"Wait, what just ha...

 _ppened?_

That was the question Makoto was asking himself as he was being held at knife-point by a stranger. _How on earth did a simple snack errand devolve into this?!_ As he was cursing his own rotten luck, the man advances from his position, forcing Makoto to back off.

"Stand up please" asked the man, in a gently tone that did not match the darkness in his eyes. "May you have the decency to do me that small favor?"

Makoto flinched as the man approaches him while an unsettling smile, the knife inching closer and closer to his body. He gets up slowly, hand in air, trying his best not to provoke the man.

"Thank you my friend. Now, listen closely. I do not want to hurt you, so don't try anything fishy and we'll both get out of this fine".

Feeling a drop of cold sweat slowly travel down his neck, Makoto slowly nodded, showing the man in question he understood his demand.

"Now then" the man said, in a much louder voice. "May everyone please give me their attention for a few minutes?" The business-like tone of his aggressor surprised Naegi. The man was delivering his statement in the same manner as a government official delivering an official statement. The calm voice, however, did not soothe the teenager, making him far more anxious of what was to come next.

"I would like to get off at the next stop. However, it would appear that I have dropped my personal belongings. How clumsy of me. If all of you present will be so kind as to assist me picking up my items and returning them in this bag, I shall be on my way." He then opened his backpack with is free hand and dropped it to his feet.

"Of course, I believe it goes without saying that none of you fine people will even think of taking what BELONGS TO ME!" his voice rises, finally breaking the serene tone he had been keeping throughout his speech, as hatred and anger clouded his words. "I have a very keen eye, so if I see someone pocketing MY jewels, which I have spent so much time and effort gathering, well..." he said, in a much calmer voice. A small sadistic smile slowly creeped on to his face, but Naegi failed to notice that, as he was preoccupied by the knife ever so closely approaching his throat. "I would have to do the unimaginable, but I'm sure it won't come to that."

He then turned to the driver. "Oh no, please sir, you must continue driving. After all, we cannot allow these fine people to arrive late to their destination! Perish the thought! I have but one humble request: Before I retrieve all of my luggage, please avoid stopping at any stops. It would be simply **_terrible_** if one of my precious fell off this bus, wouldn't you agree?" The driver, drenched in sweat, nodded his head fiercely as his kept his foot on the pedal.

After his threat, the passengers hurried to the floor to pick up the gems, as the man watched their every actions, all while keeping the poor Makoto as hostage.

A few minutes later, the floor was completely clean of any treasure. The man kneeled down, counting his loot.

"297,298,299,300! Ah, look like all of my little babies have found their way home. Well, dears, I thank you so much for your time and effort. DRIVER! I believe this will be my stop. May you please open the door for me?"

The terrified bus driver nodded his head and opened the door. The man, seeing that he has a way out, pushed his hostage aside, picked up his bag and exited the vehicle. As he watches the criminal walk away, Naegi was suddenly assaulted with a thought: He must stop him. His reason was screaming at him for the sheer stupidity of that thought. _We narrowly escaped getting stabbed and now you want to chase that robber empty handed and alone?! Are you insane?!_ However, his moral compass prevented him to stay a bystander. As the gates were closing, Naegi jumped out of the bus, leaving his bags behind, and pursued the criminal.

"SOMEBODY STOP THAT MAN!"

Mukuro was no stranger to hostile environment. She had spent nearly a decade in Fenrir, where she had to perform her duties in a variety of terrains. Afghan villages, Iranian deserts, Vietnam jungles, she has seen it all and has learned the skill to always find her nearing no matter the place. However, all of her abilities were useless against the most ferocious of environment: the Tokyo metro system.

"Wait, when you say I need to take the North line to Tokyo tower, do you mean the Northern line of the Central line heading north?"

"No no no ma'am. You need to get on the Southern line heading North, where you will then transfer on the Northern line, which heads East, before going on the Western line, which, obviously, heads West, unless if it is the express train, then it will head south."

"And how can I tell the difference between the express train and the normal one?"

"Oh, very easy. The normal trains are white with yellow stripes while the express trains are yellow with white stripes."

"I-I see… Thank you"

Emerging from the conversation more confused than ever, Mukuro decided to forgo the train and walk to her destination. _It cannot be harder than it is to figure this mess out._

As she followed the map to the Tokyo tower, a scream makes it to her ears:

"SOMEBODY STOP THAT MAN!"

She turns around toward the sound and see a man running toward her at full speed. Her soldier instincts takes over as she spots the knife in the man's hand. Mukuro ducks down, getting herself outside of the robber's field of view. She then quickly knocks the man off his feet using a well-placed leg sweep. As he falls, she shifts her body to the side, taking the knife from his hand, since his grip was loosened due to the sudden loss of balance. Before the man even hits the ground, the ultimate soldier puts her weight on top of the man, all while grabbing his left arm, locking the man underneath her when his body eventually touched the ground.

"Wow"

Immediately registering the voice behind her, Mukuro turned her head back, expecting another attacker. However, much to her surprised, the man she saw was a short, brown-haired boy, with one strand of hair popping out like an antenna.

"That was incredible! The way you stopped him, it was like a scene right out of an action movie!"

A bit caught off-guard by the compliment, Mukuro tried her best to avoid blushing. She had never been praised before. Her Fenrir comrades were not exactly the nurturing types and the closest thing she got to a compliment from Junko is when she was making fun of her for being "The world's Biggest Disappointment".

"Ah, t-thank you" she said, turning her face away to hide her embarrassment. She had no idea how to properly respond to the boy, and her severe lack of social interactions certainly did not help.

"HEY! YOU TWO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT MAN!"

The two were interrupted by the scream of a police officer, making rounds in their routine patrol. The man approached the two teenager, badge and baton in hand, clearly expecting an explanation as to why there is a man on the ground, with a high school girl on top of him with a knife.

"Oh, Officer! I can explain, you see…"

As Naegi explained to the policeman the situation, Mukuro left out a sigh of relief. _Oh thank god_ thought Mukuro. She did not know how to proceed in her conversation with the boy and was glad to find an excuse to exit this awkward social situation. All she needed to do now was to hand over the criminal, and she could be on her way. However, much to her dismay, the policeman did not see things as such. After he listened to the entire story, he said:

"Well, I thank you two for capturing the criminal, however, i would need to take your statements back at the station. May you two please follow me back?"

 _I just want to leaaaaaveeeeee_

As they waited in the station for the officer to take their statement, Mukuro and Makoto sat beside each other, on a very stained sofa. They waited in silence, both too nervous to say anything. After an hour, the silence continued and became more and more awkward, until Naegi decided to say something.

"H-hey, can I say something to you?" said Makoto, nervously fidgeting and scratching his face.

"O-Oh, go ahead" replied Mukuro, slightly surprised

"I just want to say, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. I would have never catched that guy without you and honestly, if it wasn't for you, the man would have gotten away. However, you swooped in like a Superhero and stopped him so, sincerely,"said Naegi, before widening his lips to form a big smile. " **Thank you.** "

 **BADUMP.** That was the sound Mukuro's heart made when she saw that smile. She could not remember the last time she was the receiver of an honest smile. It was pure, untainted and sincere. It wasn't like the sarcastic smirk Yasuke made. It was not fake, like the one Junko wear on her face to look friendly. It was an innocent smile, without any malice behind it. It was so bright, Mukuro could have sworn the boy was shining. It wasn't until he spoke again that she realized she was staring at him, hypnotized by his face.

"My name is Makoto Naegi, what's yours?"

"Mukuro. Mukuro Ikusaba" she replied, snapping herself back to reality.

"Well, Ikusaba-san, I'm really glad I've gotten to meet you today"

There is was again, that smile. As she struggled to find the words for her response, an policeman came in the room.

"Mister Naegi and Miss Ikusaba, we are ready to take your statements. May the one of you please follow me to the left wing and the other please follow my colleague here to the right wing?"

"Oh yes!" Naegi responded, immediately rising to follow the officer. Before leaving, he waved to the soldier girl. "Hope to see you again!" he said, before parting ways. Little did they know, the moment where thy will meet again is much closer than they think.

Author's note:

Hi everyone, I'm not Dead! Sorry for the late update, exams season and being on vacation meant i did not have a lot of time to work on this fic. The confusion Mukuro had over the Photoshoot site and the metro system parallels my own confusion. I asked the exact same question about the umbrellas and unlike Mukuro, I actually said them out loud to a real person. I also changed the personality of the robber a bit, as I just finished reading Sherlock and I really wanted to write the dialogue of an gentlemen criminal. Now for those of you who wants to see the rest of class 78, I have some good news for you! I'll be introducing all of them next chapter ( and I'm expecting it to be a very lengthy one). I'll try to update monthly from now on so I hope you guys look forward to that :D.


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